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Archive for 'May 2012'

It seems that recommendations to pregnant women to get enough folate
may do more than just protect against neural tube defects. Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed in around 1 in 100 children, more
often in boys than girls. There is a large range of symptoms and
abilities of affected children, however for many families, a child
with an ASD will require intensive, specialized care to help improve
their communication skills a chance of leading a normal life. While it
appears that there is no single cause of ASD, some research indicates
that environment-gene interactions that result in ASD start early in
pregnancy. Schmidt and co-workers report in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition on the link between folic acid intake and ASD.

For the past 3 days, Vancouver, British Columbia has been abuzz with
experts presenting the latest science on dietary fatty acids and
lipids. Convened by the International Society for the Study of Fatty
Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), scientists have gathered around the globe
to learn cutting edge science. DHA and EPA are omega-3 nutrients
required for the growth, development, and maintenance of the brain,
eye, and heart. From a select list of 2012 New Investigator Awardees,
the 2012 New Investigators Awards finalists were won by Dr Melissa
Gregory from the Royal Adelaide Hospital (Australia), Dr Zacharoula
Nikolakopoulou from Queen Mary University of London (UK), and PhD
candidate Sarah Orr from the University of Toronto (Canada).

Childhood obesity is attracting much attention because of its
long-term effects of early obesity on health over the lifespan. It is
attracting attention from international groups (World Health
Organization), national-based programs (Let’s Move from First Lady
Michelle Obama), and considerable media interest, for example from
celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. One nutrient that is the focus of
considerable research interest is vitamin D. Authors Crozier et al. in
the online first articles of the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition reported on the link between maternal vitamin D status
during pregnancy, and fat mass in their children up to 6 years of age
in women living in the city of Southampton, one of the more sunny
cities in the UK.

The latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition contains a
series of excellent systematic reviews of the evidence base for
omega-3 fatty acids in various populations and for a number of
important health conditions. In particular, Aranceta and Pérez-Rodrigo
review dietary recommendations for fats and fatty acids; the issue’s
editors remark in the editorial that considerable work has been
undertaken in dietary lipid research since further uses were found
than simply a carrier for fat-soluble vitamins and a concentrated
source of calories. Regular systematic reviews are needed to compile
the evidence base to further our understanding of the role of fatty
acids in the diet for health.

In case you missed it, micronutrients are essential, especially
during the first 1000 days of life. Roberfroid and colleagues assessed
the effect of UNICEF/WHO multiple micronutrient (MM) supplementation
(vs iron and folic acid alone) during pregnancy and lactation on
survival, growth and morbidity of infants. They reviewed data on 1,276
infants with a total follow-up of 30,459 infant-months; 15,262
infant-months during the first year of life. Children whose mothers
received MM had significantly greater length-for-age, weight-for-age,
higher z scores, greater thoracic circumference, larger head
circumference-for-age and a 27% reduction in rate of stunting during
the first year of life.

Folic acid fortification of enriched cereal grains was made mandatory
in 1998 to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTD). NTD occur
during the first trimester of pregnancy; often before a woman realizes
she is pregnant and needs to ensure an adequate folic acid intake. By
increasing the folic acid content in the diet, the food fortification
has reduced NTD and saves US taxpayers $300 million annually. Linabery
and colleagues report epidemiological evidence collected from 1986
through 2008 from 8829 children 0-4 years old who were diagnosed with malignancies

The European Commission has mandated nutrition labeling for packaged
foods. After 8 years of negotiation, the new food labeling regulations
requires food manufacturers to provide information on the energy value
and 6 nturients (fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and
salt on products. The information must be expressed per 100g or 100mL
of product. Article 2 of Regulation No 1169/2011 also carries
references to definations for ‘processing’, ‘unprocessed products’,
‘processed products’, ‘food enzyme’, ‘food additive’,

Are you getting mixed messages about taking dietary supplements? What
should you do when headlines read “Dietary supplements can elevate
cancer risk: Study.”? First, read more than the headline. Within the
article, Dr Tim Byers, co-author of a comment published in JNCI is
quoted. It’s not that nutrients are toxic – they’re essential and we
need them, but we need them in a certain balance. That sounds
different than the headline, doesn’t it?

A coalition of international non-government and civil society
organizations are leading a high-level nutrition briefing in
Washington DC today. The goal is to highlight progress and to
stimulate more action addressing hidden hunger and malnutrition.
Confirmed speakers are impressive collection of US senators,
congressman, and government officials; executives from World Food
Programme, Scaling Up Nutrition, World Bank, New Partnership for
Africa’s Development, Alliance to End Hunger; and Canadian and Irish governments.

After a year of investigation, the Copenhagen Consensus Panel of 65
experts, including 4 Nobel Laureates, issued a press release yesterday
identifying malnutrition as a top priority for the world. Nobel
laureate Vernon Smith is quoted that getting more nutrients to the
world’s undernourished will increase health, schooling and
productivity. The experts evaluated nearly 40 investment proposals to
understand how the world could prioritize aid spending. They
considered issues such as armed conflict, biodiversity, chronic and
infectious diseases, and climate change. They concluded that a $100
investment per child could reduce hunger and malnutrition by 36%.

HBO, the Institute of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control, NIH, the
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente premiered
the “Weight of the Nation” on May 14. It continues tonight. The first
part correctly confronts the personal and health impact of obesity in
America. However, obesity is a consequence of many factors, including
slowing metabolism as people age. As one progresses through life,
weight will accumulate unless accommodations are made in energy intake
or activity. Any food and beverage containing calories can be held
accountable for this weight gain but it is shortsighted to

Two new studies report that consuming more omega-3 fatty acids is
good for one’s health. Well, the assumption is that the benefit of
fish arises from increasing omega-3 intakes and altering the
polyunsaturated: saturated fat ratio of the diet rather than the
actual consumption of more ‘fish and chips’. Patel and associates
report on a case-cohort study with 3.99 million person-years of
follow-up (whew that is a big number) of 16,835 Europeans from 8
countries. The men and women reported eating 138 and 92 grams of fish
weekly, respectively.

Eyesight is important to so many parts of life: reading, driving,
recognizing friends at a distance, and watching television. Because
changes in vision can occur slowly, often people are unaware of the
deterioration. People with diabetes can also develop diabetic
retinopathy. Chalk and colleagues developed a simulation to assess
different screening policies. They recommend a new screening interval,
every 2 years rather than annually, for people with type 2 diabetes
who have not developed retinopathy. This is policy. What should
individuals know and do to maintain their vision?

Future Fortified is a public awareness campaign seeking to help
millions of women and children around the world gain access to
essential nutrients needed to lead healthy, enriched lives. This
campaign by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
currently reaches more than 500 million people in more than 30
countries. To learn more about Future Fortified, watch the video. DSM
is pleased to be one of GAIN’s partners, along with 1,000 Days,
Edesia, and Herbalife. As Stephan Tanda, DSM Managing Board Member
with responsibility for DSM’s Nutrition activities says, “working
together with a wide range of stakeholders

Almost one year ago, the European Union (EU) authorized 3 article
14(1)(b) health claims establishing the importance of docosahexanoic
acid (DHA) for the development of eyes and brains of children. Based
on reviews by the EU Commission, the legislative body approved 3
DHA-related health claims for children’s development and health. Foods
providing a daily intake of >200 mg DHA were authorized to carry
statement informing mothers (and fathers) of the role maternal DHA
intake contributes to the normal development of the eye and brain of
the baby during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. For infants being
fed formula, the law provided a means to educate caregivers of the
value in feeding a formula providing a daily intake of 100 mg DHA,
with at least 0.3% of the total fatty acids as DHA. In short, the EU
recognized that DHA is important to the normal visual development of
infants up to 12 months of age.

Vitamin D is one of more than a dozen essential vitamins but it is
getting an unprecedented amount of attention by scientists. Since the
prevalence of vitamin D deficiency exceeds that of any other vitamins,
people are advised to increase their vitamin D intake. A meta-analysis
by Tripkovic and colleagues compared the effectiveness of vitamin D2
(egocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in raising serum
25(OH)D status. Data from 8 intervention studies showed D3 increased
serum 25(OH)D levels more than D2 regardless of dosage, frequency or
route (oral vs intramuscular) of administration.

Earlier this week, we discussed the 2011 Endocrine Society
recommendation that adults 19-50y supplement with vitamin D to
maintain serum 25(OH)D levels above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) to maximize
bone health and muscle function. Vitamin D comes in 2 forms. Vitamin
D2 (ergocalciferol) is obtained from plant sources, eg yeast exposed
to UV irradiation, and found naturally in sun-exposed mushrooms.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) can be synthesized in the skin and is
naturally found in fatty fish, eg salmon and herring, and it is
obtained from lanolin. Both forms are used for food fortification.
After absorption, the liver hydrolyzes vitamin D to 25(OH)D, the best
measure of vitamin D status.

When people live closer to the poles of the earth, they are not able
to synthesize vitamin D from the sun during the winter months. This is
because they wear clothing for warmth, they spend more time indoors,
and the UV light is not strong enough to stimulate 25(OH)D synthesis.
According to studies by Michael Holick, 95-99% of vitamin D production
is reduced by wearing sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or more. A new report
by de Boer and colleagues confirms the seasonal impact on vitamin D
status in older adults. They evaluated